Horizontal electrolytic cells for the electrolysis of solutions



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United States Patent HORIZONTAL ELECTROLYTIC CELLS FOR THE ELECTROLYSIS OF SOLUTIONS Charles Deprez, Uccle-Brnssels, Belgium, assignor to Solvay & Cie, Brussels, Belgium, 2 Belgian company Application April 26, 1955, Serial No. 504,013

Claims priority, application Netherlands April 29, 1954 4 Claims. (Cl. 204-225) It is known that in modern practice of electrolysis there is a tendency to construct more and more powerful cell units and in connection therewith anodes of correspond- As a result, the handling of the graphite anodes of a modern horizontal electrolytic cell cannot be practically performed without using a travelling crane. Now, the handling operation in question is of a very delicate character, because the slightest shock occurring between an anode, suspended to the crane cable, and the walls of the cell will result in the risk of damaging the very brittle graphite constituting the anode.

The object of the present invention is to prevent breaking of the anodes during their manipulation, and the subject matter of the invention consists in a particular device for placing, transferring and removing the anodes in and from the cell without any risk of shock and deterioration, and for regulating the distance between the anode and the cathode of the cell.

According to the invention this object is attained by means of a device for handling the anodes, in which the latter are rigidly fixed to cover plates which are fixed in their turn to supports resting by means of guide rollers on a guide way comprising: lower fixed guide elements located on both sides of the cell, parallelly to this latter; upper fixed guide elements located along both sides of each end portion of the cell; and intermediary connecting guide elements, connected by one end to the lower guide elements and capable of being moved at their other end from the level of the lower guide elements to the level of the respective upper guide elements, in such a manner as to connect both to each other.

For preventing during working any undesired displacement of the system constituted by the anodes, the cover plates, their supports and the supporting rollers, the roller bearing surface of the guide elements, such f. i. as rails, are provided, according to the invention, with arresting notches into which the rollers may penetrate.

Moreover, according to the present invention the supports of the cover plates to which the anodes are fixed, may be connected to the bearing rollers by means of regulating elements which afford the possibility of adjusting with precision the vertical distance between the cover plates and said rollers, and consequently the anodecathode' distance.

The device according to the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of one end portion of an electrolytic cell, one anode disconnected from the electric feeding device and ready for being removed from the cell.

Figure 2 shows the same anode lifted out from the cell and resting on one of the inclined guide ways, for being conducted towards an evacuation carriage (not shown).

Figure 3 shows diagrammatically a longitudinal vertical til 2,786,023 Patented Mar. 19, 1957 section through the device for vertical regulation of the position of the anodes.

The cell trough comprises a bottom 1 of electrically conducting material supporting the cathode, two lateral walls 2 protected by a coating of insulating material (not shown), and an end portion 3 provided with connecting branches 4 for supplying and removing the liquids and gases of electrolysis, and with an inspection window 5.

This cell trough unit is combined with guide ways for the introduction and the removal of the anodes, such guide ways comprising, according to the example'illustrated in the drawings, two guide elements, such as rails 6, supported by uprights 7 fixed on both sides of each end portion 3 of the cell, and guide elements, suchas rails 8, fixed to the cell bottom 1 on both sides of the cell by means of supports 9, the anodes moving along the cell on said rails by means of rolling devices as described below.

Each anode comprises a plurality of graphite plates 10 rigidly fixed to cover plates 11 by means of current conducting graphite studs 12 provided with metal terminals 13 which are in contact with bus bars 14. The cover plates 11 are fixed to supports 15 which are provided with rollers 16 travelling on the above mentioned guide ways and combined with said supports by means of a mechanism for vertically adjusting the supports 15 with respect to the rollers 16, as will be described below.

The rails 8, which are rigidly fixed to the cell over the greatest portion of the length of the latter, are combined at their ends with rail sections 17 which are linked by means of pivots 27 to studs 28 fixed to the cell bottom- 1, so that rail sections 17 will be angularly movable in vertical planes around pivots 27, on studs 28, for placing their free ends in contiguity with the corresponding ends of rails 6 by means of lifting devices, such for instance as jacks (not shown). In their lower position, shown in Figure 1, said rail sections 17 serve to support the anode in working position, whereas in their inclined position 17 according to Figure 2, they may be used for removing the worn out anode at one end of the cell and for introducing a fresh anode at the other end of the cell. When the anode is in working position the rail sections 17 rest on supports 18 fixed to the cell bottom 1. The rails 8 and 17 are provided with notches 19 for receiving and retaining the rollers 16, thereby determining the position of the anodes within the cell in the longitudinal direction of the latter.

The distance between the anodes and the cathode may be modified by varying the height at which the cover plates are positioned with respect to their supporting rollers. It is obvious that in principle, known devices for regulating the distance between electrodes may be adapted to the supporting means according to the present invention. 3

, But, as the-known regulating devices are adaptd :.io

rest on fixed points of the cell, whereas in the present case the supporting means are constituted by movable rollers, preference will be given to the device illustrated diagrammatically and by way of example in Figure 3.

According to this example, the supports 15, to which the cover plates 11 are rigidly fixed, are of tubular shape and rest at their end portions on pistons 23 which carry the rollers 16 and are slidably mounted in guiding chambers formed by cylindrical or parallelopipedic walls 24 fixed to the supports 15. Inside each end-portion of each support 15 a pair of discs 20, 29 is rotatably mounted, the discs of each pair being connected to each other by a crank pin 21, each crank pin resting on the respective roller carrying piston 23. Both disc and crank pin systems 2t), 20, 21 in each tubular support 15 are connected to each other by a rod 29, the end discs 20 being provided with square trunnions 22 which are accessible from 3 e su s ds by me ns of q kee nshi h device just described the uniform distance between the anodes, fixed to the cover plates 15, and the cathode can be adjusted with precision, by causing the system 29, 2.0, 21, 22 to rotate relatively to the system 15, 24, 23, 26 by means ,of a wrench.

To. each square head 22 there is fixed a sector (see also Figures 1 and 2) provided with an arcuate slot 30 cooperating with a pressure screw 26 which passes through said slot and is screwed into the corresponding wall portion 24. The sector 25 may be provided with a graduation for determining the position of the anode with respect to the rails 8 and 17.

For the sake of clearness the tightening joints of the cell are not shown in the drawings.

Iclaim:

1. In an elongated substantially horizontal electrolytic cell having end walls and parallel vertical side walls, cover plates having anodes depending therefrom, support means for said coverplates, said support means including rollers at the sides of said cover plates adjoining said vertical side walls, and guide means for receiving said rollers in rolling engagement therewith, said guide means including lower fixed guide elements extending longitudinally along said cell exteriorly of said side walls and having a guiding surface for engagement with said rollers, upper fixed guide elements secured at the end of said cell and having a longitudinal guiding surface disposed at a level higher than the guiding surface of said lower guide elements, and intermediate connecting guide elements, each intermediate element being hingedly connected at one end and being movable to extend between the end of one of said lower guide elements and the opposed end of one of said upper guide elements to provide continuity of guiding surfaces therebetween for conducting said rollers between said lower guide elements and said upper guide elements.

2 In an elongated substantially horizontal electrolytic cell having and walls and parallel vertical side walls, cover plates having anodes depending therefrom, support means for said cover plates, said support means including rollers at the sides of said cover plates adjoining said vertical side walls, and guide means for receiving said rollers in rolling engagement therewith, said guide means including lower fixed guide elements extending longitudinally along said cell exteriorly of said side walls and having a guiding surface for engagement with said rollers, uppertfixed guide elements secured at the end of said cell and having a longitudinal guiding surface disposed at a level higher than the guiding surface of said lower guide elements, and intermediate connecting guide elements, each intermediate element being hingedly connected at one end and being movable to extend between the end of one of said lower guide elements and the opposed end of one of said upper guide elements to provide continuity of guiding surfaces therebetween for conducting said rollers between said lower guide elements and said upper guide elements, the guiding surface of said lower guide elements being provided with notches for arresting the rollers when said cover plates overlie said cell.

3. In an elongated substantially horizontal electrolytic cell having end walls and parallel vertical side walls, cover plates having anodes depending therefrom, support means for said cover plates, said support means including rollers at the sides of said cover plates adjoining said vertical sidewalls, and guide means for receiving said rollers in rolling engagement therewith, said guide means includ ing lower'fixed guide elements extending longitudinally along said cell exteriorly of said side walls and having a guiding surface for engagement with said rollers, upper fixed guide elements secured at the end of said cell and having a longitudinal guiding surface disposed at a level higher than the guiding surface of said lower guide elements, and intermediate connecting guide elements, each intermediate element being hingedly connected at one end and being movable to extend between the end of one of said lower guide elements and the opposed end of one of said upper guide elements to provide continuity of guiding surfaces therebetween for conducting said rollers between said lower guide elements and said upper guide elements, said support means further including regulating means for adjusting the vertical relationship of said rollers and said cover plates.

4. In an elongated substantially horizontal electrolytic cell having end walls and parallel vertical side walls, cover plates having anodes depending therefrom, support meansfor said cover plates, said support means including rollers at the sides of said cover plates adjoining said ver tical side walls, and guide means for receiving said rollers in rolling engagement therewith, said guide means including lower fixed guide elements extending longitudinally along said cell exteriorly of said side walls and having a guiding surface for engagement with said rollers, upper fixed guide elements secured at the end of said cell and having a longitudinal guiding surface disposed at a level higher than the guiding surface of said lower guide elements, and intermediate connecting guide elements, each intermediate element being hingedly connected at one end' and being movable to extend between the end of one of said lower guide elements and the opposed end of one of said upper guide elements to provide continuity of guiding surfaces therebetween for conducting said rollers between said lower guide elements and said upper guide elements, said supporting means further including a rotatable shaft provided with two eccentrics engaging pistons which are slidable within guide members and support said rollers, said eccentric shaft being combined with at least one sector and screw means for arresting said sector at any predetermined position.

References Cited the file of this patent UNrrnp STATES PATENTS Deprez Mar. 22, 1955 

1. IN AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ELECTROLYTIC CELL HAVING END WALLS AND PARALLEL VERTICAL SIDE WALLS, COVER PLATES HAVING ANADOTES DEPENDING THEREFROM, SUPPORT MEANS FOR SAID COVER PLATES, SAID SUPPORT MEANS INCLUDING ROLLERS AT THE SIDES OF SAID COVER PLATES ADJOINING SAID VERTICAL SIDE WALLS, AND GUIDE MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID ROLLERS IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, SAID GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING LOWER FIXED GUIDE ELEMENTS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID CELL EXTERIORLY OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND HAVING A GUIDING SURFACE FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ROLLERS, UPPER FIXED GUIDE ELEMENTS SECURED AT THE END OF SAID AND HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY GUIDING SURFACE DISPOSED AT A LEVEL HIGHER THAN THE GUIDING SURFACE OF SAID LOWER GUIDE ELEMENTS, AND INTERMEDIATE CONNECTING GUIDE ELEMENTS, EACH INTERMEDIATE ELEMENT BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED AT ONE END AND BEING MOVABLE TO EXTEND BETWEEN THE END OF ONE OF SAID LOWER GUIDE ELEMENTS AND THE OPPOSED END OF ONE OF SAID UPPER GUIDE ELEMENTS TO PROVIDE CONTINUITY OF GUIDING SURFACES THEREBETWEEN FOR CONDUCTING SAID ROLLERS BETWEEN SAID LOWER GUIDE ELEMENTS AND SAID UPPER GUIDE ELEMENTS. 